Classic Homestyle Veggie Pizza

Are you sick and tired of the same old frozen pizzas? Do you go out on the town and want a fresh slice of pizza, but they have been sitting in the warmer for hours? No worries. I've got you covered! Now, you can have your pizza fresh out of the oven or heat it up right when you get back home! Feel free to mix and match the toppings for whatever type of pizza suits your fancy.  

Credits to:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-pizza-sauce-iii/

http://culinaryxcouture.blogspot.com/2008/04/homemade-pizza.html

Ingredients:

For the Pizza Dough:

• 4 cups of whole wheat flour

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour

• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

• 2 Tbsp. dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon of salt

For the Sauce:

• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (or use 3-4 fresh beefsteak tomatoes)

• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

• 1 Tbsp. ground oregano

• 1 Tbsp. dried basil

• 2 cloves garlic

• ½ yellow onion

• 1 teaspoon ground paprika

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Toppings:

• ½ yellow onion (the other half from your sauce), chopped

• ½ red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

• 4 oz. Portobello mushrooms, chopped

• 1 cup of fresh spinach, chopped

• ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

1)      Pour the flour, oil, and salt into a mixing bowl. Then put 2 tablespoons of yeast in a cup of warm water and add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the water so the yeast will rise quickly. When the yeast rises, add it to the mixture in the bowl. Begin kneading the dough with your hands or a mixer if you have one. Keep adding warm water until a soft dough forms. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for an hour or until it doubles in bulk.

2)      Meanwhile, prepare the pizza sauce. Peel the onion and grate it in a saucepan. Add oil and spices, and sauté for about 10 minutes or until onion becomes tender. Then, add the tomato paste and tomatoes (or sauce). Add 4½ tomato paste cans of water to the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then cook for 10 minutes on low heat. 

3)      Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Chop your veggies and set aside.

4)      Blend all ingredients for your sauce until mixed through

5)      When the dough is done, lightly flour a rolling pin, and the surface on which you are opening the dough. Use the rolling pin to stretch the dough out to desired shape.

6)      Add desired sauce, toppings and cheese.

7)      Bake pizza(s) for 20-25 minutes until the ends of the crust are nice and brown.

Enjoy! This will make approximately 2 16 inch pizzas!